“The accused was entitled to a fair trial, not an endless one,” the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC” or “the Court”) asserted in the recent ruling, R v Samaniego, 2022 SCC 9 [Samaniego]. It is a cogent quote in defence of trial management power—a power that allows trial judges to control court processes to ensure […]
On July 8, 2016, the Supreme Court of Canada released R v Jordan, 2016 SCC 27 [Jordan], a decision that fundamentally changed the framework that determines whether an accused has been tried within a reasonable time under s 11(b) of the Charter. While the impact of explicitly overthrowing a well-established framework with years of precedent remains […]
In R v Auclair, 2014 SCC 6, the Supreme Court of Canada (“SCC”) denied leave to appeal from the Quebec Court of Appeal decision. In denying the appeal from R v Auclair, 2013 QCCA 671, the SCC also took the opportunity to highlight the “extraordinary and unique nature” of the situation that Superior Court Justice […]